By Garwin Davis, Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU
PRINCESS CRUISE, the third largest cruise line in the world and a long-standing partner of Jamaica, bringing nearly 100,000 passengers to the island per year, will not be returning after next season, according to reports.
The cruise line will instead head for a Mexican port. This decision, according to reports reaching The Gleaner, is based on persistent problems such as visitor harassment and poor infrastructure.
Calls made yesterday to Princess' Fort Lauderdale office were unsuccessful, but checks with numerous tourism interests in Ocho Rios and Montego Bay revealed that they were aware of the situation.
Most were reluctant to go on record, on the grounds that they were not authorised to make any public statement regarding the decision taken by Princess Cruise.
However, Carl Smith, general manager for the Montego Bay branch of Grace Shipping, agents for the cruise line, said he had heard that the cruise line was scaling back vessels to the island but could not confirm whether it would be a full scale pull out.
"Sometimes the last people to know these things are the shipping agents so I wouldn't go as far as to challenge the information you have," Mr. Smith said. "I know that a decision has been taken to pull their Princess to the Costa Myer port in Mexico where they have, apparently been offered better incentives.
"The Crown Princess, though restricted to special calls which ranges from anywhere between every 15 or 30 days, should still make appearances which would suggest that the cruise line would still be maintaining a presence in the island."
Mr. Smith also said that schedules for cruise lines which show bookings up to 2005 indicated nothing for Princess Cruise beyond next season although the other cruise lines have their calls scheduled up to that date. "...this is not necessarily abnormal as it is possible that they could do one later," he added.
A popular tour operator, who has been doing business with Princess since the mid-1970s and who requested anonymity, said the cruise line had told all its local business partners of the decision not to go beyond next season.
"This will have a major trickling down effect," he said. "I cannot begin to imagine the amount of revenue the country will be losing. In head tax alone it will be almost US$400,000 yearly. Princess Cruises is not only one of the biggest cruise companies in the world but is also the most prestigious and has a very up scale clientele. The constant harassment and not much in terms of attractions for their passengers are the main reasons for them pulling out."
President of the Montego Bay Cruise Shipping Council, Lee Bailey, said he has heard rumours of the pull out. If true, it would be a severe blow for the tourism industry, he said.
Proposals
"We have been over the years bombarding our clients with proposals of what we are going to do without hardly ever delivering," Mr. Bailey said. "It's time for us to wake up and realise that we are doing something wrong. While other ports are busy upgrading their attractions we have been complacent in the fact that we have Dunn's River Falls. The cost of one cruise ship is more expensive than any hotel in Jamaica and the cruise lines have to protect their interest."
He noted that in a recent visit to Montego Bay, the President of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association Michelle Paige, said Panama was offering cruise lines US$12 for every passenger they brought to that country. "They have to pay us to come to our ports, yet Panama is offering them over US$1.5 million to come to their country. Who do you think they will listen to more?".
